When I lived in Greater London about 12 years ago a group of postmen and their bikes would be taken out by van and dropped at the start of their rounds.

In the days of two deliveries per day I remember special locked boxes being erected at the roadside. A van would deliver the sacks for the second deliveries and the posties would do both deliveries without returning to the delivery office.

Now that I live in a small village I pass the postman's van as I drive to work. I have a lockable drop box in the porch for larger packages. The postman and other delivery men usually either put the packages on top, or on the ground underneath.